


Unknown Quantity

by celeste9



Series: February Challenge Fics [16]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Daemons, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-17
Updated: 2018-02-17
Packaged: 2019-03-20 04:38:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13709991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: Bruce was an unknown, and his daemon was unpredictable. To Natasha's bemusement, her own daemon was eager to change that.





	Unknown Quantity

**Author's Note:**

> Day 16: daemon AU

“I made Tony scream today,” Vera said, a warm ball of fur coiled up by Natasha’s thigh. “It was an embarrassingly high-pitched squeal.”

Natasha smiled, stroking Vera’s fur. “Good girl.”

“He was very surprised. I was watching him from the vent but I couldn’t resist.”

“Sometimes giving up your cover is worth it.”

“Jarvis was… less impressed.”

“You win some, you lose some,” Natasha said, and Vera made a soft rumbling sound, like contented agreement.

They both looked up as Bruce poked his head into the lounge where they were sitting, blinking at their twin stares. “Sorry. Seen Tony?”

Natasha couldn’t help her swallowed chuckle and if ferrets couldn’t quite look smug, Vera was definitely coming close. “Vera will confirm he was in his workshop.”

Vera made a chittering sound that was almost like her version of laughter. “I will confirm that, yes.”

Bruce’s gaze wavered between the two of them. “Huh. I thought he was… Well, okay. Thanks.” He ducked out and Vera laid her head on Natasha’s knee.

“He is scared of us.”

“Not scared,” Natasha said, considering. “He is… wary.”

“As you feel towards him.”

Natasha was quiet for a moment. “He is an unknown quantity.” And his daemon was unpredictable and could not be reasoned with.

“I will know him, if you like,” Vera said, and Natasha went on stroking her soft fur.

-

Natasha often obtained information through Vera; her daemon was small and sneaky; she was as resourceful as Natasha herself was and could fit in tiny spaces. Natasha could present the illusion that she knew everything, partly because she was good at faking and partly because Vera fed her little tidbits that Natasha couldn’t have known herself.

Lately, though, Vera would slither into Natasha’s lap and tell her, “Bruce seems to survive mostly on black coffee and leftovers he finds in the communal fridge,” or “Bruce likes the same bad eighties sci-fi movies you do,” or “Bruce forgets to get out into the sunlight unless Pepper drags him out.”

When Natasha arched an eyebrow in question, Vera would say, “I am knowing him, so that you can,” and curl up to sleep.

-

Vera was not supposed to follow Natasha into the field when she was fighting, though that didn’t mean she didn’t. It was true that Vera had aided her more than once, to the extent that Natasha knew very well she might be dead without Vera. Natasha still ordered Vera to stay behind.

Vera still willfully disregarded those instructions.

As Natasha kicked the last goon in the face, she wiped her hand across her forehead to stem the trickle of blood. “Vera.”

Vera met Natasha’s eyes from her perch upon the man whose face she had viciously bit in aid of Natasha. “Natasha.”

“I told you to stay in the Quinjet.”

“And here I am.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. Before she could argue further, Vera jumped up, suddenly alert. “What is it?” She tapped into her comms. “Guys?”

“Hold tight, Black Widow, it’s just Hulk,” came Steve’s voice.

“I thought he wasn’t even a part of this mission?”

“Change of plan. It’s fine. See you at the Quinjet.”

Change of plan? That meant something had either gone completely to shit or Bruce had had a loss of control. As Natasha pondered that, she realized Vera was gone and cursed.

“Hang tight,” she muttered, and went in search of her misbehaving daemon.

She found her on the shoulder of the large, angry, green figure that was Bruce’s daemon, the Hulk. Unlike Natasha and Vera, or, indeed, unlike any human-daemon relationship she had witnessed, Bruce actually transformed into the Hulk, his mind fading into the background as his daemon took over.

The Hulk was uncontrollable. Natasha had unfortunate memories of how very true that was.

Vera clung to the Hulk’s big green shoulder, nails sunk in, as the Hulk collapsed down to the ground and faded back into the small figure of Bruce Banner. She blinked up into Bruce’s confused face before scampering back over to Natasha.

Natasha was unsure which of them was more bewildered: her, or Bruce.

-

The bewilderment continued. Bruce approached her as she poured cereal and said, “I think this belongs to you?” with Vera peering from around his ankles.

“She belongs to herself, but if she’s bothering you I’ll talk to her.”

“She wasn’t,” Bruce said, though he had this wide set to his eyes like he wasn’t quite sure what he had gotten into.

Another day Natasha found Vera and Bruce both asleep in his lap, Bruce’s head on his table and Vera lying draped over the back of his neck.

Twice more Vera helped calm down the Hulk, and once she calmed Bruce enough when the Hulk threatened to take over that his eyes went from green back to brown. Once the Hulk lingered for hours, sitting patiently with Vera on his large thigh, lightly, carefully petting her head with one giant hand. Vera’s contentment rang through Natasha’s head like an echo.

“He is not unknown,” Vera said, as though this should explain everything. “He should not be wary of us, and we should not be wary of him.”

-

Natasha tilted her head as she heard footsteps behind the couch where she was sitting, legs curled beneath her, Vera on the cushion pressed against her thigh. She knew the light sound of Bruce’s steps.

“Clint flaked out on me,” she said. “You want to watch Dune?”

Bruce looked from the TV to Vera to Natasha. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Natasha glanced down at Vera, who was watching her.  _ No longer an unknown quantity, huh?  _

Anyone Vera trusted was someone Natasha could trust.

“You’re probably better company for this movie than Clint is, honestly,” she said, as Vera chittered happily.

Bruce hesitated a moment longer but then dropped down onto the couch beside Natasha, Vera in between them. Vera skittered over, her butt pressed to Natasha’s thigh as she laid her head on Bruce’s knee, and he gave her a startled, pleased smile.

Natasha started the movie and thought she wouldn’t mind indulging Vera’s newfound affection for both Bruce and his unpredictable daemon.


End file.
